Memorial Weekend Sierra Nevada Weather

[Brad Young]

I'm hoping to climb on SPH this coming weekend. I know many other friends were planning on coming up. But there's been worry about the weather.

Here's the National Weather Service predictions for Pinecrest (17 miles east of Twain Harte) for the weekend:

-  Friday Night:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

-  Saturday:  A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

-  Saturday Night:  A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

-  Sunday:  A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

-  Sunday Night:  A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

-  Memorial Day:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.

With predictions like these, it's likely that we'll be able to climb each day of the weekend. But two other weather-caused issues may limit where and what we can climb:

-  Low snows over the last week have caused the highway to close, open and then close again through several cycles (it's even opened once and then closed six hours later). It's unlikely we'll be able to climb at Chipmunk Flat, which is a fantastic place for a varied group (it has more than 300 mostly easy-access climbing routes). Same with Burst Rock, which, if anything, is an even better group destination.

-  Some very good climbs at other places have been wet (yesterday the fourth class portion of the slab approach to Weeping Wall was wet over a wide area - we chose not to cross it as a result).

Anyone and everyone are welcome to hang with us and with Dawsons for any part of the weekend. Don't worry about notice, show up if and when you want to (i.e. make a last minute decision).

There will be other stuff to do (Dave Harden's doing a slide show at our house on Saturday - he's been climbing since 1970 and his shows are fantastic; the hiking and or riding should be good even with sprinkles; the crew of climbers that will be there is worth hanging out with). But, again, recognizing that climbing is the main attraction, make whatever decision works for you.

[CruxLuv]

Thanks so much.  I hope you and whoever braves it will be rewarded! 

My (non-climbing) hubby already has his sites set on local rides and hikes. 

And his (climbing) wife already has her sites set on some local mud.   

[mungeclimber]

So-So and Potters will have some stuff, even if Weeping approach is heinous. Reminds me, I need to finish that project on soso.

Looking to SoYo, the forecast looks moderately better there, but Saturday is still 30%.

20% is climbable, almost always. 


and OMG, take this SPH stuff over sonorapassclimbing.com already. This is a forum for mud and dirty talk.

[F4?]

-  Some very good climbs at other places have been wet (yesterday the fourth class portion of the slab approach to Weeping Wall was wet over a wide area - we chose not to cross it as a result).

Mungie, I thought we fixed a rope across that slab??
Still nasty, need to drill in steps to make it civilized?

And has anyone repeated out newest climb?? ***** all the way.

[Brad Young]

There is a fixed rope - and it's normally very casual across 50 feet of slab  (although the rope is nice to have).

But yesterday it was very wet, and we had two dogs we didn't trust on the terrain when wet (not my two, needless to say).

[F4?]

very wise to back off

[mungeclimber]

Wow, didn't realize there was a fixed line. Good call. It was getting worse.

[Brad Young]

Wow, didn't realize there was a fixed line. Good call. It was getting worse.

Hey, you, Mungeclimber:

"...OMG, take this SPH stuff over sonorapassclimbing.com already. This is a forum for mud and dirty talk."

[clink]

Thanks Brad and Vicki for the hospitality! Relaxing tourist Saturday and inspiring climbing Sunday.

[Yo-so-mighty]

It was a wonderful weekend spent with your family and friends. I'm really looking forward to a wonderful breakfast, served to me in your favorite chair.

[clink]

I'm really looking forward to a wonderful breakfast, served to me in your favorite chair.

According to Vicki, you are in a lose-lose bet. The 10 crack is probably 12 knowing Brad.

[Brad Young]

It was a wonderful weekend spent with your family and friends. I'm really looking forward to a wonderful breakfast, served to me in your favorite chair.

If you come up here and tell us our ratings are light, we'll just have to get you on the stuff you can't do.

I'd love to lose this bet. But I doubt I will   

And Clink, I can cook a very, very nice breakfast (if it isn't complex like Eggs Benedict or some such, and I don't think he's dumb enough to ask me to cook that if/when he wins).

[Yo-so-mighty]

It's false advertising if it's harder than 5.10b. Bet will be null and void. Part of me wants to request a really convoluted breakfast, just to see you sweat in the kitchen. I know that it will taste like hell, but that is a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

[Brad Young]

It's false advertising if it's harder than 5.10b. Bet will be null and void. Part of me wants to request a really convoluted breakfast, just to see you sweat in the kitchen. I know that it will taste like hell, but that is a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

It's 5.10b. Jerry Dodrill put it up and he and his partners called it 5.10b even before I knew it existed. Everyone I've ever heard from who's climbed it called it 5.10b. But it's unusually sustained (that is, it's got lots of 5.10b) and it stays physical.

I'd love nothing better than to see you pull it off on lead (safely of course).

And I won't sweat preparing your breakfast. I'll sincerely do the very best job I can. But since it seems to be expected that that "very best" job might not be all that good, I'll just give it the best I've got and not sweat it (and I'd recommend bacon and eggs with whole wheat toast; I'm really very good at preparing bacon and eggs).

[clink]

The whole affair should be documented. YoSo should get one onsight attempt, down climbing permitted. Brad should get a cocktail and a pedicure if YoSo falls.

[Brad Young]

We already agreed that he gets three attempts to redpoint the route (not pinkpoint, redpoint). He wins the bet if he leads it clean in three attempts.

And ain't no-one touching my feet for a pedicure. At least no-one who isn't trained in handing hazardous waste (which he isn't).

[Yo-so-mighty]

I'll have you know that I completed 5 days of HAZWOPPER training in Oakland; but there is no way I'm touching those talons. Clink is just projecting what he wants done to him.

[Yo-so-mighty]

Hey Brad. What is the name on that route? I need to start going to school on it 😉

[Brad Young]

It's the route on the guidebook's front cover: "Cassiopeia."

[mungeclimber]

HAZWOPPER

I can haz cheeze whopper?